C Chapter 19

Chapter 19

 

At first, the man thought the boy was just an inexperienced kid who couldn’t even properly hold a sword, acting presumptuously with clumsy righteousness. However, there was no trace of a beginner’s tension in the boy’s stance.

‘W-what is this presence…!’

The man awkwardly raised his sword, but by the time he did, Dongbaek had already pointed her blade toward him and lightly pushed him off the ground.

The man didn’t realize Dongbaek was closing the distance until it was too late. Though he barely managed to block Dongbaek’s right sword by a hair’s breadth, Dongbaek wielded dual swords. The remaining sword followed the right one with a time delay, sweeping down diagonally from the man’s shoulder.

Since the man’s sword was occupied blocking Dongbaek’s right blade, he was helpless. In desperation, he reached out with his right hand, which had been gripping his sword, trying to grab Dongbaek’s left hand holding the sword.

But Dongbaek’s left sword gracefully evaded that hand. Then it cleanly sliced through the man’s outstretched right arm.

Slash.

The shock of losing his right arm reached the man a beat late.

“Ah, AAAAHHHHH!”

The man’s screams echoed through the forest. He collapsed to the ground, clutching his spurting right arm. He tried desperately to reattach his fallen hand, but it was futile.

Dongbaek swung her sword again without showing any emotion at the man’s agonized writhing. This time, aiming for the heart. Dongbaek’s sword plunged into the man’s chest without resistance.

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The girl watched clearly as the man died.

The first death the 7-year-old girl had ever witnessed surprisingly left nothing in her heart. Rather, the fear and terror she had felt toward the man completely vanished without a trace. Perhaps it was canceled out by the shock of the man’s death.

The girl’s eyes turned to the boy who had killed the man. The one who had caught her when she fell from the tree earlier.

“W-who are you?”

The girl’s voice trembled pitifully. Her young voice still carried traces of unsubsided crying.

Dongbaek slowly pulled out the sword embedded in the man’s chest as she stood up. The man’s muscles clenched around the blade, and the thick blood made the sword heavier. When Dongbaek shook the sword, droplets of blood fell onto the grass. Taking out a handkerchief from her clothes, Dongbaek wiped the blood off the swords before sheathing both blades.

Dongbaek hurriedly approached the girl and untied the ropes binding her hands while saying:

“I just happened to see you being kidnapped and followed. I mean you no harm, so please don’t worry.”

Of course, Dongbaek didn’t expect the girl to truly believe her just because she said so. To demonstrate her harmlessness, after untying the girl’s ropes, she stepped back three paces.

The girl managed to stand up, supporting her trembling legs with her hands. But her shaking legs couldn’t support her for long, and she soon collapsed back to the ground.

Startled, Dongbaek rushed over to help her up.

“Are…. are you alright?”

“I…. I’m fine. Thank you for saving me…”

Finally, she responded. Relieved to see her lowering her guard, Dongbaek helped her stand properly.

“As I said before, please be careful.”

Just then, Jao’s cawing warning cry came from the sky. Startled, Dongbaek protected the girl behind her back while alertly scanning the surroundings.

There was a rustling sound from the direction of the bushes where Dongbaek had appeared earlier. Soon after, a man emerged pushing through the undergrowth. It was the man Dongbaek had eluded earlier.

“To run away…”

Panting, the man swallowed his words. Wiping sweat from his forehead, the man approached Dongbaek. Suddenly, the scent of blood crossed his nose. His sense of smell, dulled from riding hard on horseback through the wind, belatedly detected the thick smell of blood.

Pushing further through the undergrowth, the man discovered the corpse with its severed arm and pierced heart. It was a familiar face.

The man’s thick eyebrows twitched upward as he stared at the dead bandit’s corpse. His appearance must have been quite threatening, as the girl instinctively clutched Dongbaek’s clothes with a start.

“Did you kill him?”

The man’s questioning gaze was menacing.

‘Tsk, seems they knew each other.’

Feeling slightly uneasy, Dongbaek carefully moved her hand to her sword. This man was dangerous. She could feel in her skin that the man was still beyond her abilities.

Unlike before, Dongbaek’s tense attitude was transmitted to the girl. Her eyes wavered anxiously.

As the man drew closer, Dongbaek’s body grew increasingly rigid. His presence felt more overwhelming with each step. It hadn’t seemed this intense when she’d glimpsed him earlier. Instinctively sensing danger, Dongbaek half-drew the sword at her left side without realizing it. Yet the man hadn’t even reached for his weapon.

Suddenly, Dongbaek’s instinct screamed, ‘Here it comes!’ Her sword slid swiftly from its scabbard, aiming for the man’s neck.

The man grinned, his smirk betraying amusement at Dongbaek. Then, he drew his sword as well.

The man would undoubtedly block the trajectory of Dongbaek’s sword. They hadn’t yet crossed blades, but one look at his arms—easily four times the size of hers—made it clear her strike would be deflected. Finishing this thought in an instant, Dongbaek swiftly moved her left hand to block the man’s inevitable counterattack.

But something intercepted them faster than either Dongbaek’s or the man’s sword—the girl Dongbaek had saved.

“S-stop!”

The man’s sword halted sharply in mid-air at the girl’s intervention. But Dongbaek’s sword, lacking the strength to pull back the forcefully thrust blade, continued forward.

“Eek!”

Startled by the whistling sound near her ear, the girl stumbled. Fortunately, she fell into Dongbaek’s arms behind her rather than crashing hard, but her body continued trembling from her own courage and the cold sensation of the sword that had just grazed past.

Dongbaek released her held breath. She couldn’t stop the sword, but she had barely managed to alter its path. It could have been disastrous.

“Impressive courage, young lady. You should know you saved his life. With sword skills like his, he can only cut down riffraff like that one. Next time, size up your opponent before acting. Who told you to draw your sword so carelessly?”

From the man’s words and actions, it seemed he had never intended to cut Dongbaek down in the first place. But that didn’t mean Dongbaek could immediately lower her guard. She continued probing the man stiffly.

“Weren’t you acquainted with that man? I was certain you were here to avenge him.”

“Well, I suppose you could say I knew him, if knowing such people counts. I merely thought you were some arrogant brat running wild and wanted to teach you a lesson. I never intended to avenge him.”

The man shrugged and sheathed his sword. Then he roughly tousled Dongbaek’s hair.

“Still, quite impressive for your age. About thirteen? I’m Xiahou Dun. What’s your name, boy?”

Before Dongbaek could even react to the sudden physical contact, her breath caught at the name—Xiahou Dun. She had suspected the man wasn’t ordinary, but to think he was General Xiahou Dun…

Dongbaek brushed Xiahou Dun’s hand off her head and replied, her tone slightly stiff.

“I-I’m So Dongbaek.”

“So Dongbaek? That name sounds familiar…”

Xiahou Dun tilted his head questioningly. But his curiosity was forgotten by Dongbaek’s following words.

“And I’m not thirteen, I’m ten.”

“What? Only ten?”

“Hah, really…”

Xiahou Dun’s expression turned sheepish. To think I was getting worked up over beating a ten-year-old kid…

Only after calming her trembling body did the girl realize whose arms she was in and hurriedly pulled away from Dongbaek. Though young, he was still an unrelated male. Hiding her blushing face, she bowed deeply to Dongbaek.

“…I am Lily, daughter of the Dan family. Thank you for saving me, Young Master So.”

“I’m So Dongbaek. Please never go out alone like this again. As I said before, it’s dangerous.”

Dongbaek earnestly repeated her warning to the girl, Lily. Even today, she had only followed her just in case, but who could have known such a thing would happen.

Having gradually assessed the situation, Xiahou Dun smiled wryly. He really had meddled unnecessarily today. When he saw someone riding urgently through the crowded marketplace, he’d thought it was some arrogant noble’s son causing trouble.

Being constantly around such an arrogant noble’s son probably made his thoughts naturally go in that direction. Xiahou Dun clicked his tongue, thinking of his friend who was now far away.

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